The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lagerstroemia of hybrid origin. The new Lagerstroemia will hereafter be referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Baillagone’. ‘Baillagone’ is a new cultivar of crape myrtle grown for use as an ornamental landscape plant.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Watkinsville, Ga. The objective of the breeding program is to develop a new cultivar of crape myrtle with an intermediate plant habit, dark foliage and white flowers.
‘Baillagone’ arose from a cross-made in 2012 between Lagerstroemia ‘PIILAG-IV’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,478) as the female parent and Lagerstroemia ‘PIILAG-I’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,168) as the male parent. ‘Baillagone’ was selected as a single unique plant in 2014 from amongst the seedlings derived from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by semi-hardwood stem cuttings by one of the Inventors in Watkinsville, Ga. in 2014. Asexual propagation by semi-hardwood stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.